University of Toronto Faculty, Staff, and Student Awards and Honours Governing Council Meeting October 23, 2008 Faculty & Staff Awards Professor Emeritus Paul Aird of forestry is the winner of the Endangered Species Stewardship Award, presented to him by Donna Cansfield, Ontario minister of natural resources, at a natural History Day event, held May 24 at Bonnechere Provincial Park in Renfrew County. Aird was honoured for his volunteer contributions related to Kirtland’s Warbler over the past 30-plus years, not only raising public awareness for this particular species at risk but for having made an important contribution towards recovery of this globally rare bird in Ontario. Keith Ambachtsheer, director of the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management, is the recipient of the James R. Vertin Award, given by the CFA (chartered financial analyst) Institute to recognize individuals who have produced a body of research notable for its relevance and enduring value to investment professionals. Ambachtsheer received the award July 22 at the 50th Financial Analysts Seminar, a CFA Institute conference hosted by the CFA Society of Chicago. Francesca Andrade of financial services is this year’s winner of U of T Scarborough’s Patrick Phillips Staff Award for outstanding service and commitment by a campus staff member, while Svetlana Mikhaylichenko of physical and environmental sciences is the recipient the D.R. Campbell Merit Award for enhancing the quality of life on campus. Professor Janet Potter of physical and environmental sciences is the winner of the Faculty Teaching Award. The Principal’s Awards were presented in June at an event hosted by Principal Franco Vaccarino. Professor Julie Audet of the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, has been selected to receive a 2008 National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression Young Investigator Award. NARSAD, the world’s leading charity dedicated to mental health research, created the award to help the most promising scientists who are now entering research to generate pilot data necessary for larger grants. Announced Aug. 5, the award amounts to $60,000 over the next two years. Professor Gage Averill, vice-principal and dean of U of T Mississauga, has been elected president of the Society for Ethnomusicology for a two-year term. The society is an association devoted to the support of ethnomusicology and to the study of music-making worldwide. “This appointment enables me to continue to connect with my discipline and to do my part to build and advance it,” said Averill, dean of music from 2004 until assuming the position of vice-principal and dean of UTM Oct. 15, 2007. Currently the society has more than 2,500 members on six continents. University Professor Spencer Barrett of ecology and evolutionary biology is the recipient of the 2008 Sewall Wright Award, awarded annually by the American Society of Naturalists. The most prestigious award given by the society, it honours a senior but active scientist who has Faculty, Staff, and Student Awards and Honours (June 23 – October 23, 2008) 2 made fundamental contributions to the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. The award is named after Wright, an influential population geneticist and one of the founders of the modern synthetic theory of evolution. Barrett received the award during the annual meeting of the society in Minneapolis in June. Professor Charles Chen of adult education and counselling psychology at OISE/UT is the recipient of the Canadian Counselling Association’s 2008 Counselling Book Award for his scholarly publication Career Endeavour: Pursuing a Cross-Culture Life Transition. The biennial award honours the originality and high quality of an academic and professional work that is considered a valuable contribution to the advancement of counselling in Canada. Chen received the award at the association’s annual conference in May. Professor Daniel Drucker of the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre has been selected by the Endocrine Society as the 2009 Clinical Investigator Award Lecture winner for his contributions to explaining the mechanisms of action of glucagon-lie peptides and the translation of these basic science discoveries to the clinic. The award, one of the 11 Laureate Awards, is given to an internationally recognized clinical investigator for major contributions to clinical research related to the pathogenesis, pathophysiology and therapy of endocrine diseases. He will present a plenary lecture at the society’s annual meeting June 10 to 13 in Washington, D.C. Professor Anthony Easty of the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering is the inaugural recipient of the Excellence in Clinical Engineering Leadership Award of the American College of Clinical Engineering Healthcare Technology Foundation. The award defines and recognizes superior leadership at the institutional level. Selected for his legacy of exemplary leadership in the field of clinical engineering at the University Health Network, Easty received the award at the inauguration ceremony Sept. 5 in Toronto. Professor Emeritus Martin Evans, who lives now lives in Cambridge, Mass., is co-winner of this year’s Common Cause Massachusetts’ Distinguished Service Award. Evans is a board member and volunteer for Common Cause Massachusetts, a non-partisan citizen’s organization whose goal is to ensure open, honest, accountable and effective government at the federal, state and local levels in the United States. Evans received the award at the organization’s annual awards brunch and auction June 8, held in Lexington, Mass. Barbara Fischer, director and chief curator of the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, received the Exhibition of the Year Award for the 2007 exhibition PROJECTIONS. The video and media art exhibition, organized by the Barnicke Gallery, was presented on the Mississauga, Scarborough and St. George campuses by U of T’s four galleries and was praised by the jury as “a significant contribution to Canadian art history.” The award was presented at the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) awards ceremony Sept. 26, held at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery. Professor Patrick Gunning of chemical and physical sciences at U of T Mississauga is the 2008 recipient of the David Rae Memorial Award in Leukemia Research of the Leukemia and Lyphoma Society of Canada for his highly rated innovative project in leukemia research. The award was established by the Rae family to honour the memory of Rae who died of lymphatic 48153 Faculty, Staff, and Student Awards and Honours (June 23 – October 23, 2008) 3 cancer at the age of 32. The society’s mission is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Professors Elizabeth Harney of humanities and Rene Harrison of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough are the winners of the Principal’s Research Awards, recognizing and encouraging excellence in research activity and achievements at UTSC. Harney is renowned for her work on the history and theory of contemporary art in the African diaspora. Harrison is a cell biologist who was honoured for her expertise in pathogenesis and bone formation. Laurie Harrison, director of academic technology at OISE/UT, is one of this year’s 45 fellows accepted to the Frye Leadership Institute, an intensive two-week residential program held at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. Participants were selected competitively from a pool of candidates representing both North American and international institutes of higher education; she was one of two Canadians chosen this year. This year’s residency was held June 1 to 12. The institute’s purpose is to develop creative leaders to guide and transform academic information services for higher education in the 21st century. Professor Philip Hebert of family and community medicine is the winner of the Canadian Medical Association’s Dr. William Marsden Award in Medical Ethics, recognizing a member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership, commitment and dedication to the cause of advancing and promoting excellence in the field of medical ethics in Canada. Hebert, author of the popular textbook Doing Right: A Practical Guide to Ethics for Medical Trainees and Physician, received the award Aug. 20 during the CMA’s annual meeting in Montreal. Professor Graeme Hirst of computer science is the winner of the Distinguished Service Award, given by the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (formerly the Canadian Society for the Computational Studies of Intelligence) intermittently at its annual conference in recognition of extraordinary service to the organization. Hirst was honoured during the association’s meeting in Windsor, Ont., May 28 to 30 for his development of the magazine Canadian Artificial Intelligence in the 1980s. Professor John Hull, Maple Financial Group Professor of Derivatives and Risk Management at the Rotman School of Management, is the inaugural honouree of the Professional Risk Managers International Association’s History Makers series. Hull was recognized for his contributions to the risk profession during a special reception June 21, hosted by the association’s New York chapter; during the evening Hull explained his approach to research, reviewed how models are used by derivatives dealers and presented new research in progress. Professor Franca Iacovetta of history and U of T Scarborough is the winner of the Canadian Historical Association’s John A. Macdonald Prize, awarded to the non-fiction